Getting Older

I have never been one to worry about getting old, and I still don't worry about how the years seem to be slipping away faster than they used to. I have always been a man of lesiure--I took a decade to meander through my Bachellor's Degree--and don't put much stock in having a time frame, or time line, for how my life is supposed to unfold. I am the youngest in my family and seemed to be the youngest of all my friends when I was growing-up. I was the last to be enrolled in swimming lessons, I was the last to become a Boy Scout, one of the last to get my driver's license, one of the last to turn twenty-one... But age was never an issue. I never felt younger than anyone else when I was growing-up, and now that I am grown-up, I don't really think about being older than anyone else.

However, I am thirty-one now, and there are some things that I've noticed about getting older than I didn't anticipate feeling, seeing, understanding or knowing about. Here are a dozen ways I recognize that Father Time is being a little less kind with every passing year.

1. I know I'm old because slippers are truly comforting.

I really do enjoy coming home and putting slippers on my feet, whether I'm still wearing socks or not. It seems silly, but that thin layer of shearling really makes a difference.

2. I know I'm old because I have vivid memories of 20 years ago.

When I check an ID at work, and the birth year is 1989, many memories flood into my head. Mostly, memories of riding my bike, Guns 'N Roses and middle school.

3. I know I'm old because students at Hamline look at me funny.

And they look away instead of saying, "Hi," when I walk by. I must look like a professor.

4. I know I'm old because I would rather be home than anywhere else.

For many years, the opposite was true.

5. I know I'm old because there's always something wrong with my body. And I notice it.

I'm sure this has always been the case, but in the past few years, I've noticed that I always have something physically wrong. From canker sores, to hangnails, to bruises, to athlete's foot, to sore feet, to shin splints, it seems like I've always got something aching.

6. I know I'm old because I drive like my dad.

I tallied five speeding tickets in my first 14 months of owning a licence. Now, I am more cautious than ever and I critique and criticize other drivers--out loud--when I know they can't hear me. Just like Dad.

7. I know I'm old because I complain about the music/TV being too loud.

I hate to say it, but sometimes I just want to listen to things quietly. (Not my Megadeth albums, of course).

8. I know I'm old because I'd rather watch the game at home.

Live NFL games don't interest me at all anymore. If given the opportunity to go to The Super Bowl, I'd sell the ticket and buy an HD TV.

9. I know I'm old because I cry.

I never used to. Now I get choked-up about once a month. Over next-to-nothing.

10. I know I'm old because teenagers are alien beings.

And I want to surround myself with them for the next 30 years.

11. I know I'm old because I am aware that some things I do don't make sense.

See #10.

12. I know I'm old because I couldn't care less about what people think about me.

Why else would I write #9 on a public blog?

There are probably a few dozen more. Feel free to comment with your own.